Advice for Dentists—From Your Mom

As Mother's Day draws closer, let's take a moment to acknowledge the wisdom that mothers impart to us that echo throughout our lives. For instance, remember when you were a young kid and you were spending too much time inside watching TV or just getting in the way as your mom was trying to get things done? If you are of a certain generation, there is no doubt you have memories of your mom instructing you to "go outside and play".

She realized that part of living in a healthy and happy home meant getting out of it once in awhile. She wanted you to expand your environment, interact with other kids and use your imagination – and give her a few moments of peace.

When she sent you out to play though, she also took an interest in the children you were playing with. She wanted to make sure that the people you were spending time with would be a good influence on you; she wanted to make sure you were learning the right life lessons, picking up the right habits and growing as a person. She knew that the relationships in your life went a long way to shaping your outlook.

As you got older, of course, your world expanded even more. In high school and college, you picked up a lot of learning beyond classroom instruction, just from interacting with so many different people. That's when a lot of us start to get a real sense of the breadth of knowledge there is in the heads of those around us.

But then your world got smaller again. As a dentist, you see the same team members and the same patients every day. Your world becomes about your practice, the operatory and the patient's mouth. The influences around you start to shrink and it is easy to become set in stale patterns.

This is the gratifying benefit I see when I watch dentists get together here on campus or online on our Spear TALK forums. You see that rekindled passion that comes alive in a person when they are suddenly around peers who understand their world. There is an exchange not just of knowledge, but also of energy, as they ask each other about how they handle certain situations or the materials and tools they use. It's like being back in the sandbox as a kid and discovering friends who have the same passions for the same things, but a different perspective. It is exhilarating and energizing.

If you haven't had that feeling in a while, it's time to remember mom's advice and get outside and play.